Car-brake



(No Model.)

W. H. MASON.

UAR BRAKE.

PatehtedJune 23, 1885' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVILLIAM H. MASON, OFEVEBETT, ASSIGNOR TO \VILLIAM H. JOHNSON,

OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,573, dated June 23,1885.

Application filed December 11, 1864. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. Mason, of Everett, in the county ofMiddlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented anew anduseful Improvement in Brakes, and in the mechanism by which the same isoperated, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new form of the shoe of a brake, and isespecially adapted to be used on the wheels of steam and horse cars, andalso to the mechanism by which the brake frame is operated.

Shoes for brake frames have long been in use, but they have been rigidlyattached to their frames, and have been presented straight or sphericalto the circumference of the wheel.

My invention consists in making the shoe in the shape of a wedge, andbringing there by into use the principle of awedge in its action, andalso so connecting the shoe to its frame that the shoe movesautomatically, as hereinafter described.

My invention also consists in an arrange ment, where the shoe is to beoperatedby hand, for lockin g the brake which operates the shoet'rame,and dispensing with the use of a ratchet-whecl for the foot.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of myinvention as applied to the wheels of a car. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection of the same as it appears looking on the outside of the wheel.Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same as it appears looking on theinside of the wheel. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section indetail ofthe improved shoe, showing one form of connection with its frame.

A represents the improved shoe, which is in the form of a double wedgeso attached to the shoe-frame B that it can move vertically up and down.

a a are arms of the shoe A, which pass through holes or slots in theframe B and hold it in position and also allow the vertical motion.Between the shoe and the frame I preferably place the positively-fixedroll D, on which the shoe moves with little friction.

c c are rubber or other elastic cushions on the upper arm of the shoe,which cause the shoe to automatically assume its normal posi-' tionafter the shoe has been in action.

0 is a rubber cushion which I preferably use to give an elastic bearingto the nuton the arm a.

E represents the flanged wheels of a cartruck.

G is the ordinary crossbar of a brake-frame, which is mortised into theupright piece B, as shown in the drawings. The hole B in the up rightpiece B is for a rod or iron hang, N, which connects the brake-framewith thetruckframe of the car. I do not, however, limit myself to anyparticular manner of connecting the brake-frame to the truck-frame, asthis is no part of my invention.

In horse-ears where. the shoe would be operated by hand, I use acrank-shaft, H, passing through the bottom of the car, a solid plate ofiron or other suitable material having two projections, O and 0, sosituated with reference to each other that the arm 11 of the crankshaftto which the chain of an arm-lever, F, is connected, can move a littlemore than through the quadrant of a circle just past its center ofmotion, and become locked against the projection O. The arm H of thecrankshaft,when looked as described, is in the position rep resented bythe dotted lines at I. These two projections O O on the iron plate areso arranged with reference to each other that when the brake is off orfree the arm of the crank-shaft H rests against the projection O in aposition parallel to the axle of the wheel. When the brake is being putin operation on a horse-car, this arm H moves from its normal positionuntil it is at right angles to the axle of the wheel when it is at itscenter of motion,and having passed this center it strikes the projectionO and is firmly locked, causing the brake to come into full operation.The bent arm HI of the crank shaft is made of a length justsufficient,\\'l1en moved from its normal position past its center ofmotion, to actuate the arms (connecting it with the shoe frame)sufliciently to throw the wedge shoe A into operation.

A car-truck has generally two pairs of wheels, each pair of wheelsrequiring a brakeframe, and each wheel having a shoe-brake connectedwith its brake-frame.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I have shown two pairs of wheels and also apractical method of putting my improved brake into opera tion. Thecross-bars G of each brake-frame are connected to a lever, S, pivoted atWV by rods F F". The lever S is connected with the arm H of thecrank-shaft by an arm and chain, F.

The elastic cushions c 0 can be regulated by set-screws, as shown inFig. 4;. In place of the elastic cushions a spring or springs might beused, which would cause the shoe to assume its normal position.

I do not consider the roll D is absolutely essential to the operation ofthe shoe-brake, but I do find that some means to diminish the frictionof the shoe in its vertical movement is a benefit.

The shoe-frame B, I preferably make of cast-iron, the shoe itself ofsteel, or other suitable material. The arm a supports and holds inposition at the top of the frame B the wedged shoe, its normal positionbeing sustained by means of the rubber cushions, as described. The lowerend of the shoe is positioned by the arm a, which passes through anoblong slot of the frame 13 at its lower end, a vertical movement beingthus allowed. The sides of the frame B also tend to position the shoe Ain its vertical movement.

M is the platform of the floor of the car.

The operation of my improved brake is as follows: When the shoe A ispressed by any force against the wheel E, the friction of the shoeagainst the wheel causes the wedge to be crowded into the space betweenthe wheel and the frame B. It will be seen that the wedge has anautomatic action, and that it is only necessary to press the shoeagainst the wheel to cause the momentum of the wheel to crowd the wedgefirmly in place between the wheel and the brake-frame. The momentum ofthe wheel itself throws the wedge into action and causes the motion ofthe wheel to cease, as it were, automatically. Then the pressure of thebrake-frame against the wheel is removed, the shoe assumes its normalposition by the action of the elastic cushions, as described.

On steam-ears my improved brake-shoe can be attached to any ordinarybrakeframe and operated by any of the well-known means at present usedto put the brake in action.

In Fig. 1 I have shown an improved method of operating my wedged shoe,in that I do away with the ratchet-wheel for the foot which is commonlyused, and substitute in place thereof the iron plate with itsprojections, as shown, whereby I am enabled to lock the crank-shaft.

IVith my improved shoe I am enabled to stop a car in a much shorterspace thanwith the shoe ordinarily used.

On horse-cars it is very desirable to stop the car suddenly, and I amenabled to do this by my wedge-shoe and the method I have shown foroperating the same on the horsecars.

What I claim as my invention is+ 1. A wedge-shoe connected to abrake-frame by arms so that it may have a vertical movement, incombination with spring devices whereby the shoe, when pressed against awheel, is automatically brought into action, and when the pressure isremoved resumes its normal position, substantially as described.

2. The within-described mechanism for operating a shoebrake, consistingof the crankshaft .H and the lever F, in combination with a plate havingprojections or lugs O O thereon, whereby the brake is firmly locked andunlocked, substantially as shown and described.

3. In combination with the wedgeshoe A and its frame, the brakeoperatingmechanism consisting of the levers, crank-shalt, and plate, allsubstantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

4. A brake-shoe, A, provided with a friction-roll, D, and spring orelastic cushions c c, in combination with its frame, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

IVILLIAM H. MASON.

\Vitnesses:

M. E. PARKER, XVM. B. H. DowsE.

